Until the Night Comes Without a Star
by Amashelle
Summary: Long after the fellowship's end in Middle Earth, the last elf in the land returns to the battlefield of Helm's Deep to say her good-byes. Some may look upon this as a minor Marry-Sue, but it is not intended to be. AU


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Disclaimer ~ I do not own the world of Middle Earth, nor do I own the characters of the books. Some of the specific lines are not mine either, as the scriptwriters of The Two Towers wrote them, though I have modified them a bit. People who have seen the movie will know which ones I am referring too.

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Summary ~ Long after the fellowship's end in Middle Earth, the last elf in the land returns to the battlefield of Helm's Deep to say her good-byes. Some may look upon this as a minor Marry-Sue, but it is not intended to be. This is set in an Alternate-Universe, as you will soon learn.

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The grass was dry beneath her feet, yet still her footsteps made no sound as she crossed the field. No sounds had been heard here for many, many years, not even the wind dared to sing here anymore. The years were thick with deathly silence.

__

Will come to death…

In the distance, the shattered remains of what was once an impenetrable sanctuary littered the earth, nestled up against the mountainside. Plants had slowly begun to work their way into the stones, forcing them to break into even smaller places, which would then be caught up in the tangled jungle of vines. It would not be long now before the fortress would be completely unrecognizable as the once proud Helm's Deep.

_An image of the splendor of the kings of men in glory, undimmed before the breaking of the world._

  
__Slowly, the seemingly young woman made her way through the battlefield. The air still held a lingering scent of the carnage, of the blood that had been spilt there so long ago. The hem of her pure-black dress brushed the ground, blending into the dirt and ash as if it were only another part of the earth. Her steps were slow, but they did not hesitate. She moved with the grace of one whom had all the moments of the past and future and very little that needed to be done.

_But I will linger on, in darkness, and in doubt, as nightfall in winter that comes without a star. _

For a while, she simply wandered, occasionally brushing her pale fingers along the surface of a crumbling stone or across the length of a discarded weapon. But her strides held the determined air of someone who was making their silent way to a long-remembered destination.

At last, she seemed to reach her goal, for she stopped. At her feet lay a row of four small mounds. Still as though she had all the time in the world, she took a deep breath and addressed the first grave.

'Haldir, my brother,'

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'Haldir, my brother. When first I learned of your fall, I was angry. I wanted to kill everything around me, to destroy everything that even remotely reminded me of you and the other two, or of _him_. It was not until the time came when I was to sail to the gray heavens that I realized I could not leave you here. 

'It's been so long… so many years have past. The world of men has fallen, the trees have faded, just as you said they would. Or, just as a memory of you told me they would.' She had to stop and steady her voice, which was becoming shaky with grief. 'I have stayed, and I have wandered for these long years.

'In life, I believe you were the most protective of my brothers. It is only recently that I learned of your promise. Why didn't you tell me? Of course, now you're going to want to know how I found out, aren't you? 

'Before he left for the heavens, Lord Celeborn took me aside. Somehow, he knew that I would not be joining them. And do you know what he said? Of course you don't, how could you? You probably can't even here what I'm saying, not that it matters.

'Anyway, he told me of how father died. That event that you refused to speak of no matter what. I guess now I know why… being so close to him yet unable to save him? I don't think I could have lived with it.

'I was told of how you were asked to tell the goblin of mother's location, where Rumil and Orophin were doing their best to keep her safe as she delivered her last child. You were so young, yet you knew what needed to be done. I know father agrees that you did the right thing, letting him die rather than speak, and I thank you for it. I owe you so much more than my life.'

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

She stood for a long moment, simply gazing down at her bother's final resting pace. Then, as though remembering why she was there, she turned to the second of the graves.

'Rumil. I hate to think that you are the least favorite of my brothers, and I know you died believing that. But it's not true; I know that now. A part of me always did. You may have seemed somewhat harsh, and cruel, but you where the only one who could push me, force me to rise above myself, and I love you for it.

'I know you blamed yourself for a while, for Mother's departure. Don't. By now you should have realized that it had nothing to do with you. There was nothing you could have done. You were too young, as it was, and shouldn't even have been there in the caves. Many elves have left for the heavens to escape the memories of torture or the pain of wounds. Had it not been for you, I don't think she would have stayed as long as she did.

'It pains me to realize that, for a time, I blamed you, too. But it was only a short time, and it did not take long for me to realize how wrong I was to do so. You have Orophin to thank for that.' She smiled slightly, just a gentle pull at the corners of her lips. It didn't last long, though.

'Hopefully you have found the peace you needed, the happiness you sought for so long. I pray to the Valar that you have.' She paused, again to regain her composure.

'In the end, we are all nothing but the sum of our memories. Isn't that what you always used to say to me? I'm afraid I can't believe that anymore, for I now have many, many memories, yet I feel diminished, weak and far less significant than the ash that now covers this empty graveyard. I'm sorry, I just have to turn and face the fact that I am alone here. Even the ents have left the lands… Don't blame yourself for this, too. It is far from your fault.'

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She did not linger as long on this mound, but by the time she turned to the third, there were tears streaming down her face.

'Orophin, what can I say to you? You were the ideal brother. Not as protective as Haldir was, which, between you and me, was far too much, but you were there for me when I need the protection. You…' Her voice had begun to crack, and she wondered if she would still be able to speak by the time she reached the last grave. 'You were a friend, too- though Eru knows we had our share of fights! Oh, how I have missed you,' Her gaze flickered over the other three mounds, 'I've missed you all…'

'You always seemed to be caught between things, being the youngest of the men in our family probably didn't help. Haldir was always trying to get you to practice his archery or swordplay with him; Rumil was constantly picking on you and I… I guess I sort of had a tendency to burden you with my problems. I never once stopped to think that, maybe, you had more problems than me. I guess I was a little selfish when it came to talking to you. It just took me this long to figure it out.

'I'm not sure if you want to know this, not that it matters as you can't even hear-' she cut herself off in order to take a few deep breaths. 'When news of your fall reached us, a certain Eldria was most distressed. Yes, the same Eldria that Rumil was always making fun on you for. It's a shame that she didn't realize just how deep her friendship for you went. She never married, you know. Not long after you, she died of a broken heart.' Her tears had worsened as she spoke of this, wondering desperately why she had not been able to do the same…

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She took another deep breath and turned, at last, to the final grave. 'My love,' Her tears were now uncontrolled sobs and she fought to get out the words. 'Legolas, I still cannot believe that you are no longer here, despite the long years we have been parted. You're name has gone down in history, though there are none aside from me who care. 

'Remember when we met? It seems so long ago, and yet I remember it as though it was but yesterday. I have relived that day many times since. I was happy then, peaceful. I think I may have even been beautiful, you certainly seemed to think so. We were so young, so innocent. Little changed. You never really had the chance to become more than that, and I… I never tried.

'Why… why did you have to take the arrow? Leaving me here? So many died at Helm's Deep, but why did you have to be one of them?' She sighed through her tears, knowing the answer to her question. He'd sacrificed himself to save Estel, to save the one person who could unite the worlds of men and have them march against Sauron.

Ancient history now, forgotten by all. Minas Tirith had been burned, its memories lost in flame. There wasn't even a light with which to study what remained. 

Even the glitter that had once shone from her eyes had faded many years ago.

_Until the night comes without a star._

'I loved you, I still do. I still wonder why my love for you was not enough to kill me, the way it did Eldria, why I was forced to endure this seemingly endless torture in life without you. Even Arwen was able to be rid of her pain. The people of Gondor had a whole week of festivals in her honor when her grace diminished. 

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Here you will dwell, bound to your grief, under the fading trees,.

'Yet I remained. Perhaps I was simply not ready to give up on you, somehow hoping that you would somehow return. But you never did, and I have finally lost the will to live without you. If I cannot die of a metaphorical broken-heart, then I will have to physically create one.'

u_ntil all the world is changed and the long years of your life are utterly spent_

She moved now to address all four of the dead. 'I tried. Every year I made my way to the sea and prepared myself for the journey across it, but I could not hear the call of the heavens. I know, you wanted me to be happy, but I don't believe I would be, even if I had made the trip.

'The gulls had called, but there was a stronger pull, something that continued to call me home, to the paths of Lothlorien where we all grew up. To the places we had so loved as children. The places that reminded me of you.

'I'm sorry I have failed you. But take comfort in the fact that I have finally found a path that will take me away from here. I can leave Arda at last.'

Slowly, but still without hesitation, she pulled from her many robes a needle-like dagger and forced in into her heart.

_There is nothing for me here, only death._

As the life faded form her eyes, her blood marbling the dirt and ash with red, she crawled slowly to the mountainside behind the four mounds and leaned into a small crevice that seemed to have been made just for her. And there, among all those she had truly loved in life, the last of the elves faded from Middle Earth.


End file.
